Sunday, June 24, 2012

Recent Happenings

Earlier this week we had to say goodbye to our friends The Wolf’s.  They weren’t able to finish out their two weeks stay because their Class C starting leaking transmission fluid. 

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So we said goodbye, hoping they will be able to return again this summer. We sure had fun with them swapping our extra food and eating together.

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Lots of activities Friday and Saturday around here.  Friday afternoon my former boss and his wife, Heinz and Angela, came up from Alamosa for a visit. 

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Afternoon turned to “happy hour” and then we got hungry.  We scrounged around and came up with six avocadoes for guacamole, six brats, a can of Bush’s baked beans and some  black olives.  I had 5 half-full packages of assorted chips and crackers to use on the guacamole and Heinz and Jim jumped over to Wolf Creek Ranch for a package of buns, so we were all set.

Heinz and Angela are on a five-year plan to become fulltime RVers.  Heinz bought a one-ton truck in preparation of the event and is actively surfing the net for a fifth-wheel.  So we like to get together periodically during the summer and “talk RVing”.  This is the way Jim and I learned about fulltiming, by talking every weekend the summer of 2006 with Nikki and Mike Brundin, when they were camphosting Upper Beaver Campground, one that we manage now.

After dinner we built a fire and had a great time together.  This is probably be one of our last camp fires because on Tuesday there will be a complete ban on all fires because of the extreme dryness and lack of rain.  Hopefully the July monsoons will alleviate the situation and we will be able to sell fire wood again.  Around 8:30 p.m. we bid Heinz and Angela goodnight and called it a night.

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While visiting with Heinz and Angela we had two bicyclists come in to camp overnight.  Once or twice a summer we get long distance bicyclists stay here at Park Creek Campground and I’m always intrigued by their stamina and like to stop and talk with them.

Two buddies Ed and Ed who call themselves “Dos Ediots” A Bike Edventure on facebook (get it two idiots both named Ed?).

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I really became interested when I saw that they paid for their night’s stay using a Senior Pass, which means one of them is at least 62 years old.  So Saturday morning I went over to give them a couple of Laurie Brown’s Banana Oat Breakfast Cookies (like a healthy energy bar with banana, oats, flaxseed meal, raisins, walnuts, etc.) as they were going to cycling over Wolf Creek Pass.

Their story is that last year they took off from Raleigh, NC and cycled as far as Kansas and the heat made them stop the trip and they flew home to California.  So this year they flew back to Kansas and pick up the trail once more and continue on to California.  And, yes, they are both seniors, one Ed is almost 63 and the other 64.  Better men than I am…I couldn’t image cycling from coast to coast anytime!!!  More power to you, Ed and Ed; God speed and may the wind push you all the way.
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Today, Saturday, Jim finally decided we should buy a canopy for over the picnic table…..yippe!!!! 

 

 

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It is so hot with the sun beating down on us when we have all the camphosts over for potlucks every two weeks. Tomorrow it will be so different and much more enjoyable.  Isn’t it pretty?  I sat under the canopy and did my weekly paperwork in comfort.  The canopy will come in handy when we gate guard in Texas this winter.
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Jim also put up our exterior window shades so it is much cooler inside the rig. We’ve been having extremely hot weather for us this last week.  Yesterday it got to 90* and that is very unusual for us up here in the mountains.  Usually our max temp is mid-80s during the day with nights in the 30-40s…..makes for great sleeping weather. 

We’ve also been very slow business-wise.  The smoke from the Pagosa Springs fire is spooking everyone as they drive through Alamosa and see the mountains obscured with the haze of smoke.  The fire isn’t a threat to us and is some 45 miles northwest of us, but folks see the smoke and go somewhere else.

So we’ll do what we can and try to give extra attention to our campers in the hopes those that are here will stay longer than they intended. 

That happened last week when we had a family stop by for one night on their way from Michigan to the Grand Canyon. 
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Terry and Connie asked what they could see around here and on the next leg of their trip.  I told them about a couple of interesting trails nearby that they could hike that afternoon; spoke of Creede and the Kids’ Fishing Derby taking place in two days (their daughter loves to fish).  So instead of staying one night they ended up staying three nights, took the hikes and visited Creede and The Abeyta’s lent their daughter a fishing pole so she could participate in the fishing derby, which she really enjoyed.  When they left last Sunday they were going to stop and spend a couple of nights at Mesa Verde National Park on our suggestion.  Lots of times it just takes spending a little extra time with campers and suggesting places to visit and they extend their stay with us.

Well, that is what we have been doing this last few days.  Hope you are staying cool and enjoying the lazy days of summer.

Remember, you are loved.

 

5 comments:

  1. I meant to stop by again and let you know I ran into an adult black bear while ATV'ing on the Cross Creek Trail 812, just above the Cross Creek campground. Thankfully the bear was as startled as I was and it took off in the other direction.

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  2. Sounds like a lot of fun! Your awning looks very much like our EZ Up awning we bought a month or two ago, we LOVE ours,don't know how we ever gate guarded without it.

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  3. Good post. Nanc and I often talk about doing another long distance bike trip. I don't think we are to old yet:)

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  4. It sounds like you have been keeping busy even with the lower usage of your park. I am pretty certain you will love the canopy. We now have 5 of them connected in a row. It makes for a great place to have pot lucks, jams and just daily happy hours. Works well for afternoon naps too! :-)

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  5. I love reading your blog! You always write so happy! I am writing a blog about our summer trip this year. Hope to meet up with you in the future!

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